“My Brother”
My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid
“When I was young, younger than I am now, I started to write about my own life and I came to see that this act saved my life. When I heard about my brother’s illness and his dying, I knew, instinctively, that to understand it, or to make an attempt at understanding his dying, and not to die with him, I would write about it.”
So, Jamaica Kincaid has written a small book about the death from AIDS of her youngest brother. At 198 pages, this memoir comes so close to that 200 page minimum for a book project that you might get your teacher to overlook those last two pages. After all, Kincaid is an established literary writer and she has all the stuff your teachers hope you’ll enjoy in literature—a style of her own and the many literary elements you are taught and tested on, especially wonderful figurative language. This book is as much a writing exercise as it is a memoir, as much the story of Kincaid’s love/hate relationship with her mother as her relationship with her brother.
I first came in contact with Kincaid’s writing through The New Yorker, which was regularly publishing her short works. I loved her style and would always check to see if she had something published in the weekly magazine. If not, I would toss it aside to read later. If so, I sat down and immersed myself in the story immediately. That said, I’d also like to note that her style would be a lot of fun to parody, if you should get such an assignment. While everyone else in the class is imitating Hemingway and Faulkner, you can try something like this passage from My Brother:
“It must have been wonderful in Miami then, but I will never really know, I can only repeat what other people said; they said that it was wonderful in Miami and they were glad to be there, or they wanted to be there. But I myself was in Miami, and I found Miami not to be in the tropical zone that I was from, and yet not in the temperate zone where I now live; Miami was in between, but its in-betweenness did not make me long for it. I missed the place I now live in, I missed snow, I missed my own house that was surrounded by snow, I missed my husband, the father of my children, and they were all in the house surrounded by snow. I wanted to go home.”
Add comment November 3, 2009
The Courage to Grieve by Judy Tatelbaum
The Courage to Grieve was donated to our library, and I became interested in it. I thought it might be helpful to students who are grieving over the death of a loved one. It’s quite short and covers both the grief experience and the recovery process.
Tatelbaum starts each chapter with a quote from Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, a book clearly meaningful to her. She tells us that the problem with the western view of death is that we deny it or are obsessively afraid of it. Her goal in the book is to help those in grief to a “healthy awareness and acceptance of death as a natural reality that gives our lives context and meaning.”
Beginning with the mourning period—which varies depending on individuals and their connection to the deceased, Tatelbaum describes grief as a “time of convalescence . . .for facing the loss and all the feelings that the loss evokes in order to at least begin to heal the great wound created by the death of a loved one.” She takes us through shock, suffering and disorganization, aftershocks and reorganization, to the recovery process that includes helping others with grief and recovery from grief. She has set aside a chapter for children’s grief, which includes adolescents’ grief.
If you are looking for some help in dealing with your grief, The Courage to Grieve may be an option.
Add comment October 27, 2009
“So Sexy So Soon”
“So Sexy So Soon” by Diane E. Levin, Ph.D. and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D.
I don’t think the blurb on the book jacket—which uses examples straight out of the 1970s and 1980s for parent strategies to counteract the assault of a sexualized society—does justice to this book. So Sexy So Soon really is up-to-date and helpful. It doesn’t mince words, but shows immediately how deeply sexualized America society is and just how young are the children affected by popular media. For example, these are selections from the first paragraphs of the introduction:
“A four-year-old girl, in the dramatic play area of her preschool, begins swaying her hips and singing, “Baby, I’m your slave. I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave.’ When her teacher goes over to talk to her about it, she volunteers that she learned the song from her eight-year-old sister. After doing a bit of research, the teacher discovers that the words are from a highly popular Justin Timberlake song.”
“A six-year-old casually asks at dinner, ‘What’s a blow job?’ Before his parents can respond, his ten-year-old sister knowingly screeches, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe he asked that!’”
“An eight-year-old boy comes home and reports to his father that he didn’t know what to do when his friend showed him pornography on the Internet during a playdate at the friend’s house.”
“A furor erupts at a bar mitzvah when two girls are caught performing oral sex on the thirteen-year-old bar mitzvah boy in a ladies’ room stall.”
So Sexy So Soon discusses why children are so sexualized in American society. One of the big reasons is that it sells—it’s a marketing tool, which has always been true for adult products. (I’m getting pretty darn old, and can remember a commercial from my childhood for Noxzema shaving cream that had a beautifully voluptuous girl saying, “Take it off. Take it all off!” with strip-tease music in the background.) However, children’s products were advertised to appeal to kids’ fantasies. Ironically (for the kids at least—not the sellers), “Products are not intended to sell children on sex—they are intended to sell them on shopping.”
“’Teach seven-year-olds that sexual expression is a matter of accessorizing and you’ve secured a lifetime of purchases in the lingerie department. Disassociate sex from non-market feelings (pleasure, desire, intimacy) and associate it instead with consumable superficialities, and you’ll not only keep the rabble in line, you’ll have them lined up at the mall.’” (Cynthia Peters, commentator for ZMag.com)
So Sexy So Soon discusses how parents can work through the onslaught. There are a few chapters on teens as well, and these could (should?) appeal to high school students. And if any of you, as high school students, are going to approach the topic of advertising or of sexualizing children as part of a controversial issues report, don’t pass this book up! If you are a teacher or parent of young children, this is a good read.
1 comment September 11, 2009
Dear Author: Letters of Hope
Dear Author is a wonderful, compact book of letters from kids and teens to authors. The teens pour their hearts out, telling the authors how their books have helped them, how some books have even saved lives.
You’ll recognize some of your favorite authors. A teen girl writes to Laurie Halse Anderson about her experience of being raped by a guy at her school, and compares it to the book Speak. A girl writes to Lois Duncan, author of many young adult mysteries and of the non-fiction book Who Killed My Daughter? Her own stepfather killed her two little brothers and then committed suicide. She credits the book Who Killed My Daughter? with saving her life, but asks the question why? Why do these things happen? Ms. Duncan’s answer is very moving.
Many other authors answer letters in this book, including one of my favorites, Chris Crutcher. Please read this—it’ll take an hour or two, but the impressions left by the authors’ deep sympathy for young adults will last much longer.
Add comment August 18, 2009
Freshman Honors Summer 2009: “The Alchemist” and “The Secret Life of Bees”
201 comments July 8, 2009
“The Count of Monte Cristo” Student Reviews 2009
The following reviews by COHS students are on “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas.
Genre: Historical
Pages: 1312
Reviewer: Ron W.
The story begins when the main character Edmond Dantes and Fernand Mondego land on the island of Elba to get medical help for there captain. Dantes meets Napoleon Bonaparte and is given a letter which is to be given to a friend back at port, but the friend will find him to get the letter. Mondego who is jealous of Dantes and his fiancés Mercedes relationship turns him in to the police. After Dantes explains himself to the head prosecutor Gerard Villefort who decides to send Dantes the life imprisonment in the Château d’If. After befriending the priest the priest teaches Dantes to read and write. They start to dig a tunnel out of the prison but the priest is caught in a cave in and dies Dantes then escapes by pretending to be the priests dead body. After escaping he befriends a group of buccaneers and sails back the his home port. After he and another man by a boat they sail to Monte Cristo a small island and find the hidden treasure. When they return home Dantes starts calling himself the Count of Monte Cristo. While he is doing this he is slowly ruining all of the people who hurt hims lifes. Until all of them are in jail and Mondego is dead.
My opinion of the Count of Monte Cristo is that it was a very adventurous and suspenseful book. The storyline was odd but all together the long read was worth the effort. If I had to recommend a book it would be this one.
1. The author wrote this book I alive so that you can learn that you can’t trust all your friends even the close ones.
2. The theme is you can’t judge a book by its cover even if you have already read it.
3the author supports the thesis by using a lot of good quotes and a really suspenseful storyline.
4. The issue is Dantes going to jail for carrying a letter to a friend of napoleons and it is resolved when dantes pays every one back for their deeds.
1 comment June 3, 2009
“The Man in the Iron Mask” Student Reviews 2009
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 588 of the story, and 626 pages including explanatory notes.
Reviewer: Christian I.
The Man in the iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is an excellent novel. It is about King Louis, and he is making France fall apart from his poor ruling as king. Three retired musketeers want to get rid of the king, after he put one of the musketeer’s sons on the front line of war. D’Artagnan, the musketeer captain, thinks otherwise, and is trying to defend the king. The other three find another heir to the throne, and that is the man in the iron mask. The man in the iron mask is King Louis’s twin brother, Phillipe. The musketeers then train Phillipe to fight, just in case if he needs to defend himself. King Louis then hosts a party, and the musketeers make the switch. Although, a loyal friend of the King breaks him out of jail, and Louis resumes being king. Parthos and Arimas the escape to Belle-Isle, where the King sends an attack. D’Artagnan resigns from the military, and helps his friends. Parthos dies during the battle of Belle-Isle, and D’Artagnan died a few years later from a war with Holland. At the end, the only original musketeer alive is Aramis.
As I said in the summary, I think The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is excellent. It has an action filled story with a hint of mystery. This novel is considered a world classic, and is a French novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book to read.
1. The author wrote The Man in the Iron Mask to show how two brothers can be different and what they will do for their country.
2. The theme of the book is right versus wrong. The king is a tyrant, and his twin brother (the man in the iron mask) knows what is right for France.
3. The author supports the thesis in many ways. In the book, three musketeers have to do a wrong action, to save France from the tyrant. They also did what was right by not killing the tyrant. D’Artagnan conflicts whether or not to help his friends or the king. The author uses many other examples to support this thesis.
4. The main issue is that the king, Louis, is a tyrant. Three of the original 4 musketeers had enough of the king’s tyranny. They discover that there is another heir to the throne, and they secretly switch the two, making France have a fair and kind king.
Add comment June 3, 2009
“Gulliver’s Travels” Student Reviews 2009
The following reviews by COHS students are on “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift.
Genre: Wild frontiers and exotic lands/ European historical fiction
Pages: 271
Reviewer: Andrea Z.
In the novel Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, the reader is introduced to the main character named Lemuel Gulliver who goes on extraordinary adventures. The first location he goes to is the island of Lilliput. There he meets people that are about six inches tall. He learns their customs, and becomes friends with the king, but he eventually departs from this strange land. Once he returns home he again sets sail and becomes stranded on the land Brobdingnag. He soon discovers that this land is inhabited by giants. He becomes friends with a farmer and he starts making a profit out of Gulliver. He is soon sold to the queen and is taken care of by the farmer’s daughter. After about two years of living there an eagle captures him and drops him in the ocean where he is rescued by his own kind. One again he ventures off inot the world and goes to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib and Japan. Laputa is a flying island and the people there are devoted to music and mathematics. Then he basically goes to the other places just to get back home which he eventually does. Despite his past mishaps he once again goes out to sea and lands on Houyhnhnms, a land where horses are the rulers. He eventually leaves this land by force and once he arrives back home he is unable to live a normal life.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. The author uses a lot of detail in describing the places Gulliver went. I still wonder why Swift capitalizes random words but it was a great new experience for me. The adventures the main character went on were very strange but life changing at the same time. What I learned from this novel is to accept people for who they are. I also learned that everyone is different. I highly recommend this book to others.
1.The author’s purpose in writing this book was to inform the readers on how different people are and how people in other lands have customs we are not used to.
2. The theme of this novel is the limits of human understanding and the thesis of the novel is understanding different customs.
3. The author supports the thesis by learning the ways of other people. “Learned men appointed to teach the author their language” (30)
4. The only issue in this book is trying to fit in and the author solves this by learning the inhabitants’ ways.
6 comments June 3, 2009
“Northanger Abbey” Student Reviews 2009
“Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen
Genre: Romance novel/ satire
Pages: 235
Reviewer: Hanni S.
Catherine Morland, a low classed frivolous minded girl, goes on a trip to Bath and becomes aware of the social gaps in life and is quite shocked when horrible tragedies become to her. She gains knowledge and character from her trip. She encounters infatuations, back-stabbing friends, true love, heart break, adventure, and friendship. Everything is thrown out of proportion until it is sorted out and becomes satisfactory.
My opinion of Northanger Abbey was that it was quite interesting and dramatically funny. It had a great twist to it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about social clashes.
1. The author’s purpose of writing the novel was to show the different life styles and typical gender roles in that time period.
2. The theme was true love is hard to keep because of social status. The thesis was trying to overcome social issues and to just go with the heart and still keep a strong mental state of mind.
3.. Catherine Morland began a state of loving Henry Tilney, but was rudely kicked out of the Tilney estate because the father found out the true social status of her life. She was able to keep calm until she was out of site from the abbey. Yet still, Henry Tilney came back for her and they were engaged. It took a while for General Tilney to consent, but he eventually did.
4. The main issue it raises is that of social status and being in the circle or out of the circle or money in other words. Its stance is that of: it doesn’t matter too much about those material things. The solution was to either pester someone for consenting in giving them money through marriage or breaking the engagements by going after someone richer.
1 comment June 3, 2009
“Emma” Student Reviews 2009
The following COHS student reviews are on “Emma” by Jane Austen.
Genre: Novel/ romance
Pages: 370 (depending on edition)
Reviewer: Andria R.
Emma is an upper class lady that thinks of herself a great matchmaker to the people she knows. She sees nothing wrong in it. Even though she is told it is wrong she still insists that she is being helpful. Later on she learns that she was wrong and decides to stop. In this book there are romances between the characters in which you never learn if there ever going to work out. In the high upper society there are conflicts which Emma is always involved in.
In my opinion I really enjoyed reading Emma because it was different from the books I usually read. It showed me a look at how they used to behave back then. The different conflicts that might of happened.
1. Jane Austen’s purpose was to show the different romances in a high class society and how they can go wrong. It also showed many conflicts within that society.
2. The themes are marriage and social status. The thesis is the events that happen when marriage can be ruined when social status can come into the picture.
3. Jane Austen makes the development of marriage when everything goes wrong within the upper class society.
4. What main issue does the book raise and what stance does it take in addressing and solving the issue?The main issue is when Emma keeps on trying to be matchmaker and keeps her friend from being with the one she has interest in. In solving the issue Emma decides to stop being matchmaker.
2 comments June 3, 2009
